Will run Oct. 1-21 in state waters

Published: Thursday, September 5, 2013 at 07:37 PM.

“If this data is true, it will likely be good for us in the long run,” said Anderson, who expressed frustration with the delayed decision.

“We have so many customers right now waiting to hear whether snapper will be open Oct. 1 through 21,” she said. “If people know it’s open far enough in advance, it will bring folks to town. We definitely want them to have the time to make plans.”

U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland commended the FWC for approving a fall snapper season and encouraged federal fishery managers to do the same.

“This decision is right for our fishermen, it’s good for our coastal economies and it’s based on undeniable science showing a growing and healthy red snapper fishery,” Southerland said in a news release Thursday. “I am hopeful that the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will respond in a similarly responsible fashion and open a fall season in federal waters, as well.”

Additionally, the FWC eliminated a Feb. 1-March 31 closure affecting several grouper species in the Gulf of Mexico, including black, red, red hind, rock hind, scamp, yellowfin and yellowmouth.

According to officials, the closure originally was adopted as an effort to rebuild the gag grouper populations during spawning season, but gag grouper now has a separate harvest season from July 1 through Dec. 3.

PANAMA CITY BEACH — Recreational anglers will enjoy a second taste of red snapper in Florida’s Gulf waters this year.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) approved an Oct. 1-21 supplemental season for red snapper in state waters at a meeting Thursday.

State waters in the Gulf span nine nautical miles from the shoreline.

While the season is good news for private anglers, Pam Anderson, the operational manager at Capt. Anderson’s Marina in Panama City Beach, said charter boats that hold a federal reef fish permit still cannot harvest snapper in state waters when the federal season is closed.

“Right now, it will help all of the private anglers for sure, and it will help all the charter boats that don’t have the federal reef fish permits like we do,” Anderson said. “Between the charter boats and the dive boats, we have about 25 that do have federal reef fish permits. They’ll be able to fish; they just won’t be able to harvest red snapper in state waters when (the season) is open.”

However, Anderson said they’re still hopeful. The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, which manages the species in federal waters, also is considering a fall snapper season but has yet to finalize the plans.

The council met in San Antonio last week but decided to delay the decision after new information about landings during the 2013 recreational red snapper season showed preliminary catch estimates were higher than expected.

“If this data is true, it will likely be good for us in the long run,” said Anderson, who expressed frustration with the delayed decision.

“We have so many customers right now waiting to hear whether snapper will be open Oct. 1 through 21,” she said. “If people know it’s open far enough in advance, it will bring folks to town. We definitely want them to have the time to make plans.”

U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland commended the FWC for approving a fall snapper season and encouraged federal fishery managers to do the same.

“This decision is right for our fishermen, it’s good for our coastal economies and it’s based on undeniable science showing a growing and healthy red snapper fishery,” Southerland said in a news release Thursday. “I am hopeful that the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will respond in a similarly responsible fashion and open a fall season in federal waters, as well.”

Additionally, the FWC eliminated a Feb. 1-March 31 closure affecting several grouper species in the Gulf of Mexico, including black, red, red hind, rock hind, scamp, yellowfin and yellowmouth.

According to officials, the closure originally was adopted as an effort to rebuild the gag grouper populations during spawning season, but gag grouper now has a separate harvest season from July 1 through Dec. 3.